1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to telescoping cylinders attached to closure members in vehicles, and more particularly, to a cylinder repair bracket which compensates for wear in the telescoping piston and cylinder housing elements of a fluid cylinder over a period of time. In a preferred embodiment the cylinder repair bracket is characterized by a pair of hose clamps, one of which is tightly attached to the cylinder housing and the other to the cylinder piston with a desired degree of tension and the hose clamps are connected by a band connector. A desired degree of reciprocating tension can be applied to the piston of the fluid cylinder by adjusting the piston hose clamp to facilitate extension and retraction of the piston with respect to the cylinder in a controlled manner regardless of the weight applied to the piston.
Modern vehicles are frequently fitted with controlled closure devices such as fluid-operated cylinders attached to the vehicle body and to the hood, deck lid or tailgate of the vehicle to facilitate controlled opening and closure of the hoods, deck lid or tailgate with respect to the vehicle body. Sealed fluid- operated or fluid-controlled cylinders are ideal devices for achieving this controlled opening and closure of the vehicle hood, deck lid or tailgate, since extension and retraction of the respective cylinder pistons into and from the cylinder housing against sealed fluid pressure such as air, serves to dampen rapid movement of the hood, deck lid or tailgate, thereby facilitating easier and safer opening and closure of these hoods, deck lids or tailgates. Furthermore, fluid-operated cylinders are also efficient to maintain the hood, deck lid or tailgate of a vehicle in an open configuration to facilitate loading and unloading the vehicle without requiring the assistance of the operator or using a prop or other safety device. However, with the passage of time, these fluid-operated cylinders tend to leak and wear and sometimes allow the hood, deck lid or tailgate of the vehicle to drop suddenly, with resulting injury, or at best, inconvenience, to the operator. At this point, the fluid-operated cylinders must normally be replaced, usually in pairs, at considerable expense, inconvenience and loss of time to the vehicle owner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various closure devices for operating doors, hoods, deck lids, tailgates and like closures, are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,311, dated May 10, 1983, to John R. Watts, details a "Door-Closure Apparatus" which includes an elongated, cylindrical housing which receives a sliding piston. The piston has a free end that extends outwardly and includes multiple grooves to receive an adjustable retainer clamp and regulate the inward longitudinal movement of the piston in the housing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,100, dated Mar. 21, 1989, to Daniel P. King, details a "Closure Check" for temporarily bracing a conventional cylinder/piston mechanism in the "open" configuration. The closure check includes a longitudinal brace, a positioning device, an engagement device and a disengagement device. The closure check can automatically engage with the cylinder/piston mechanism or may be engaged manually by the user. A "Storm Door Lock Apparatus" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,163, dated Mar. 28, 1989, to William O. Simmons. The apparatus includes a clamp secured to an associated screen door-type closure member that further secures a slidable rod mounted with an abutment surface for actuation by a user. A pivoted lever is provided at the other end of the rod for canting about a piston rod associated with the door closure. An L-shaped link may be secured to the abutment member for allowing engagement and access by a user. U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,230, dated May 15, 1990, to Alan J. Shelton, details a "Hold Open Device For Compartment Lid". The device includes a pair of telescoping members pivotally connected to the compartment lid and body of a vehicle and a releasable latching mechanism for automatically holding the telescoping members in an extended position, with the closure in its open position. The latching mechanism is constructed such that it may be automatically released by exerting a downward force in excess of a predetermined magnitude on the closure to move the latter to its closed position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,150, dated Sep. 17, 1991, to Philip Guerin, details a "Door Holder" which includes a holding member adapted to be secured between the door and the frame of the door. The holding member includes a lever that may be clamped in either a first release position, in which the door is free to be opened and closed, or a second holding position, in which the door is held open. A foot-operated actuating device operated by a user controls the lever to move it into a clamping position to hold the door open.
It is an object of this invention to provide a cylinder repair bracket for mounting on a cylinder housing and piston and controlling the degree of pressure required to retract and extend the piston into and from the cylinder housing.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cylinder repair bracket which is mounted on the cylinder housing and piston of a fluid cylinder for regulating the retracting and extension tension of the piston with respect to the cylinder housing.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved cylinder repair bracket which is simple in design, easy to install and operative to mount on a cylinder housing and piston of a fluid cylinder to regulate the telescoping action of the piston.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a cylinder repair bracket which is characterized by a first hose clamp tightly secured to the cylinder housing of fluid cylinder, a second hose clamp attached to the piston of the fluid cylinder with a desired degree of tension and a connecting member connecting the first hose clamp to the second hose clamp, wherein the gripping tension between the second hose clamp and the cylinder piston is adjusted to regulate the telescoping action of the piston into and from the cylinder housing.